Logan County Commissioner District 2 candidates Michael Bournia and Joe McBride, who will face off in the June 28 primary election, shared their thoughts on a number of county issues at a debate hosted by the Logan County Republicans Tuesday evening at Sterling High School

Serving as moderator was Senator Jerry Sonnenberg.

Bournia said he wants to be a commissioner because it's an opportunity to give back to the county. "I see opportunity here in Logan County, whether it's in agriculture, oil and gas development or other economic endeavors," he said. However, he also pointed out there is a lack of commitment to work together and complete projects. He wants to change that to bring growth and economic development to the county.

McBride, who has worked for the county for the last decade, said it was during the 2013 South Platte River flood that he realized there is a strong need for a leader in the county. "I think with my history in the sheriff's office, moving through the ranks to lieutenant, that I have that leadership quality," he told the audience, adding that a commissioner should represent the whole county, not just a particular group.

When asked how they would incentivize new businesses and job growth in the county, McBride said there needs to be collaboration between the county and the city of Sterling, county towns and the economic development corporation. He also suggested looking at tax incentives that other counties don't offer, expediting permits, workforce assistance, Small Business Administration financial assistance, site identification and infrastructure improvements.

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Bournia disagreed that the county hasn't been able to attract new businesses, pointing to the ethanol plant and the wind farms in Peetz and Fleming. He noted a united front will enable both the county and city to give the same interest to prospective projects, and said the county needs to work with economic development and the chamber of commerce to ensure no opportunities are missed.

When asked about blowing dust and whether the county has a role in dealing with air quality issues, both agreed that it can be hard to prevent blowing dust, as it does get windy here sometimes, but said the county does have some role in dealing with air quality. McBride suggested looking at using soy bean oil on county roads to prevent dust.

Both candidates are against the anti-oil and gas proposals that will be on the November ballot, noting that the rights of property owners should not be infringed upon.

They are also against the national push for a $15 an hour minimum. Bournia noted its impact on the county budget could lead to job losses or service cuts. McBride pointed out that the starting pay for a Logan County sheriff's deputy right now is about $14 an hour and increasing minimum wage could add to already low morale in county positions.

"To improve morale, other wages would need to increase at the same rate, thus putting the county in a situation that is not only unaffordable from the start, but unsustainable for the future," he explained.

Both are for the proposed mill levy increase for Sterling Rural Fire District, noting the rising cost in equipment and the need for a well-trained, well-equipped fire department.

When asked how they keep up to date on county issues, both said they read newspapers, listen to the radio, and utilize Facebook. Bournia serves on two local boards, which help keep him in the know about what's going on, and as a county employee McBride said he "in the loop" on several county issues.

McBride talked about his philosophy on problems in the county. "If an issue is taken to the commissioners, I believe the issue should be dealt with in a timely manner, bringing up a problem and waiting months for any type of feedback or response is poor practice when dealing with employees, other elected officials and citizens," he said.

When asked how they would rebuild relationships between county elected officials and the commissioners, McBride said he would respect that they are elected to office just like a commissioner, adding that commissioners should not try to control elected officials but set aside differences and work for the good of the entire county. He suggested more roundtable meetings with commissioners and other elected officials to tackle county issues.

Bournia said he would have personal meetings with elected officials, visit their offices to see what issues they're dealing with. He guessed that a lot of problems now arise from budgetary issues and unfortunately the county only has so much to spend to meet the needs of all departments.

They were also asked how they would improve the relationship between the Road and Bridge Department and citizens. Bournia said there should be a policy for citizens to complain and the department should take complaints seriously. If they can't come up with a satisfactory solution the issue should be brought to the commissioners.

McBride said he sees "both sides of the coin" and suggested informal public meetings with the department, commissioners and concerned citizens. He believes pay needs to be competitive and the county needs to improve its merit rewards system. "I don't care what type of business, whether private or government, without rewarding and acknowledging your employees the desire to stand out is decreased," he said.

Being a commissioner will be a full-time job for both. Bournia said he will spend 30-60 hours a week on the job and do as much traveling as needed to cover the boards the commissioners sit on. To ensure he has the time needed, he will consider having someone else run his farming operation and will leave the boards he sits on, except for Highline Electric Association. He promised to leave his schedule available so citizens can sign up for meetings with him at a time convenient for them.

McBride will post a schedule on his door when he's having meetings, is out of office for appointments, and has available time. Morning meetings with constituents, late night events and meetings and weekend work will occur.

Candidates were asked how they would encourage more public participation in commissioners' meetings. McBride suggested a night meeting and exploring the possibility of live streaming meetings and allowing those watching to interact through a chat forum.

Bournia noted he serves on the county planning commission, which meets in the evening, and they don't always have a lot of people at those meetings; it depends on the agenda. Before having night meetings he would look at the unintended consequences, ie. would county employees who need to be at the meeting be paid overtime or would there be flex time. Bournia suggested having an evening work session.

The candidates were asked about the county's 17 percent decrease in lodging tax revenues, how they would promote the county and prioritize spending of the lodging. Bournia suggested finding the ads that bring the most benefit for their cost and dropping those that don't. McBride noted the decrease in revenue has been heavily impacted by the decline in oil production and railroad traffic. He said the county needs to utilize Marilee Johnson, Tourist Information Center coordinator, who has a long history of working in media and on travel boards.

Another question that came up was what needs to be done or accomplished for flood mitigation. McBride said a lot was accomplished during the 2013 flood and steps have been taken to be able to divert or control water in some instances with flooding.

Bournia is on the Logan County Water Conservancy District and said they've looked at flooding in the Pawnee Creek area. The best solution seems to be "to build a big dam project in Pawnee Pass," but the county would need federal or state support to pay for the project. He also noted water storage needs to be built statewide.

Both candidates are against marijuana in the county because in past elections the public hasn't been in favor of marijuana. While Amendment 64 passed in the state, Logan County voters were against it, and last year voters rejected overturning a city of Sterling ordinance banning retail marijuana, pot cultivation and processing facilities in Sterling.

When asked what they believe are the greatest needs of the county in 2017, Bournia said it's an opportunity for the county to reset relationships between the commissioners and other elected officials, the city and other town councils.

McBride said trust and cooperation needs to be brought back within the county. Also the county needs to work to retain employees, focus on housing needs and improve economic development.

His long-term vision for the Logan County is to diversify industry in the county to create a more stable economy. "I see an area rich with activities, evens, local culture and entertainment," McBride said.

Bournia's long-term vision is economic growth. "In agriculture I see a chance to increase the value of our alfalfa crop by bringing dairies to Logan County," he said, adding apparel manufacturing is also something that should be looked at. Plus, he said the county needs to be ready for oil and gas development when it starts up again.

Byron Pelton, candidate for District 1, who is running unopposed, also spoke briefly at the debate.

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